Mental Health

Depression

What is Depression?

Depression is one of the most common yet underidentified mental health problems of childhood and adolescence. Left unidentified and untreated, depression can have pervasive and long-term effects on social, personal, and academic performance. When school personnel know how to identify and intervene with children who have depression, they can provide them with opportunities for effective support.

Depression is not easily recognized or may be mistaken as another problem, such as lack of motivation. Although severe depression might be displayed in symptoms such as suicide attempts, severe withdrawal, or emotional swings, the vast majority of cases are much milder and do not attract attention from adults. Moreover, children and adolescents are not as likely as adults to refer themselves for mental health problems.

It's natural to feel sad, down, or discouraged at times. We all feel these human emotions, they're reactions to the hassles and hurdles of life. We may feel sad over an argument with a friend, a breakup, or a best friend moving out of town. We might be disappointed about doing poorly on a test or discouraged if our team can't break its losing streak. The death of someone close can lead to a specific kind of sadness — grief. Most of the time, people manage to deal with these feelings and get past them with a little time and care.

Depression is more than occasionally feeling blue, sad, or down in the dumps, though. Depression is a strong mood involving sadness, discouragement, despair, or hopelessness that lasts for weeks, months, or even longer.

Content provided by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)Additional resources provided by Nemours

Signs of Depression

Children and adolescents can demonstrate depression in cognitive, behavioral, and physiological behaviors or patterns. Although not all children will show all signs, or the signs may vary in frequency, intensity, and duration at different times, a persistent pattern over a relatively long time is likely to be associated with a variety of personal, social, and academic problems.

Cognitive

‘‘All or none’’ thinking

Catastrophizing

Memory problems

Concentration problems

Attention problems

Internal locus of control

Negative view of self, world, and future

Automatic thinking

Negative attributional style

Negative affect

Feelings of helplessness

Feelings of hopelessness

Low self-esteem

Difficulty making decisions

Feels loss of control

Suicidal thoughts

Behavioral

Depressed mood

Social withdrawal

Does not participate in usual activities

Shows limited effort

Decline in self-care or personal appearance

Decreased work or school performance

Appears detached from others

Crying for no apparent reason

Inappropriate responses to events

Irritability

Apathy

Uncooperative

Suicide attempts

Physiological

Somatic complaints

Poor appetite or overeating

Insomnia or hypersomnia

Low energy or fatigue

Effects of Depression

On Academic and Social Performance

Children and adolescents with depression experience significant academic and social difficulties. Children who have depression are much more likely than their peers to have difficulty concentrating, completing assignments, paying attention, participating in class, achieving at grade level, feeling academically competent, persisting on tasks, and feeling motivated to perform. Socially, depressed children are more likely to be withdrawn, experience social skills deficits, and derive less enjoyment from their surroundings. To others, they may appear to be uninterested in school or to deliberately choose to show these behaviors. Children and adolescents who are depressed generally want to be successful academically and socially, but lack the ability and motivation; they are not choosing these behaviors.

Depression and Suicide

A small proportion of depressed students show serious thoughts of planning or attempting suicide. Although the risk of suicide is higher with depressed students, the vast majority of them do not attempt it. Nevertheless, any signs of suicide should be taken seriously, even if they appear to be meaningless gestures.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call a Suicide Hotline at: 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) or1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)

If someone is actively suicidal, do not leave them alone. If you are not able to stay with him/her, arrange to have someone else stay with them. For more information on the topic of suicide and suicide prevention, see our page entitled Suicide Prevention.

IMPORTANT!

If you are in need of further information, please contact your school. For middle or high school students, contact your school's counseling office. For elementary students, contact the school's main office.

Childhood Depression: A Parent's Primer

Interventions

Get a Medical Checkup

A doctor can check for any health conditions that might cause symptoms of depression. For example, hypothyroidism can cause a depressed mood, low energy, and tiredness. Mono can make a person feel tired and depressed.

Talk to a Counselor

Having meetings with a counselor or therapist is called talk therapy. Talk therapy can help people overcome depression. Talk therapy works by helping people to:

understand their emotions, put feelings into words, and feel understood and supported

build the confidence to deal with life's struggles

work out problems they face

change negative thinking patterns that are part of depression

increase self-esteem and become more self-accepting

increase their positive emotions and feel happier

Overcoming depression might include talk therapy, medication, or both. A therapist might also recommend daily exercise, exposure to daylight, or better ways of eating. A therapist might teach relaxation skills to help someone get a good night's sleep.

Get Support

Many people find that it helps to open up to parents or other adults they trust. Simply saying something like, "I've been feeling really down lately and I think I'm depressed" can be a good way to begin the discussion.If a parent or family member can't help, turn to your school counselor, school nurse, or a helpline. Let friends and other people who care about you offer their support. They can

listen and talk, showing that they understand what you're feeling

remind you that things can get better, and that they are there for you through the downs and ups

help you see the things that are already good about your life, even when it's hard for you to notice

keep you company and do enjoyable or relaxing things with you give you honest compliments and help you find things to laugh or smile about

Help Yourself

Try these simple tips:

eat healthy foods

get the right amount of sleep

walk, play or do something else to get exercise every day

take time to relax

take time to notice the good things in life, no matter how small

Information provided by Teen Health from Nemours, TeensHealth.org

Book and Video Resources

Elementary

In My Heart: A Book of Feelings (Ages 3-6)Written by Jo Witek, illustrated by Christine Roussey, and published by Harry N. Abrams.

In this sturdy book with beautiful heart-shaped cutouts, a girl explains that her heart is full of feelings. Each spread focuses on a different emotion, such as happiness, bravery, and fear. The descriptions of the feelings are particularly engaging: “Some days my heart feels as heavy as an elephant. There’s a dark cloud over my head and tears fall like rain. This is when my heart is sad.”

Meet Blueloon — a sad little balloon who is suffering from depression. With help from the wise rock, Blueloon learns what he can do to “bounce back” to being the way he used to be — bright, round, and full with a very straight string! Although clinical depression is often thought of as an adult disease, it can affect children, as well. Unfortunately, children may not have the maturity to understand what is happening to them, or they may feel powerless to change their situation, so they don't speak up about what they are going through. It is up to adults to be on the lookout for signs of trouble, and recognize when a child needs help.

Can I Catch It Like a Cold? Coping With a Parent’s Depression (Ages 7-12)Written by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, illustrated by Joe Weissmann, and published by Tundra Books.

Alex’s dad doesn’t work anymore and just wants to sleep all the time. When Alex finds out why — that he’s suffering from depression — he confides in his friend Anna. She tells him that her mom has depression too, and she sees a therapist to help her feel better. “I like that it promotes the benefits of therapy for the entire family,” says an expert at the Child Mind Institute.

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Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. LVJUSD has fully embraced the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, known as WCAG 2.0, which were established by the World Wide Web Consortium, an international community with a shared vision for Web accessibility. Requests for information in another format can be made by email to the webmaster.